Consultation Digest Issue 28, 19 February 2019, North Lanarkshire news, upset on University Avenue, SPT survey and parking changes in Glasgow City Cen

We have a fascinating array of proposals from around the area for you in this Digest but ongoing disappointment on University Avenue, and with the removal of permeability for cycle traffic by the introduction of one-way systems for motor traffic.

Contents

Section 1: Current Consultations

1. Connecting Woodside Phase 2 Consultation event TODAY, on-line consultation closes 03 March
2. Renfrewshire, cycle lane from Renfrew to the Glasgow boundary at Shieldhall, consultation events 26 and 27 February.
3. **NEW** Glasgow City Centre Congestion Improvement, closes 08 March
4. **NEW** Glasgow Heathcot Avenue, Drumchapel, proposed one-way operation, closes 08 March
5. **NEW** Transport Scotland A830 Shlatach Road over Rail Bridge, Glenfinnan, reconstruction, closes 14 March.
6. **NEW** Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) Regional Transport Strategy – Public Survey, closes 20 March
7. North Lanarkshire Council Local Development Plan, closes 05 April
8. *Hoped for revival* Glasgow Jura Street proposed cycle lane construction, in abeyance!

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

1. Glasgow Byres Road Design Workshop 06 March

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

1. North Lanarkshire Council Residents Parking Scheme to be introduced
2. Glasgow, University Avenue, meeting 14 February
3. East Dunbartonshire Council, High Street Kirkintilloch, no waiting restrictions to be introduced.
4. Glasgow Sauchiehall Street and Elmbank Street one-way, GoBike to attend local Community Council meeting this evening.
5. GoBike meeting with Urban Roots, Toryglen project

Section 1: Current Consultations in date order for responses

1.1 Connecting Woodside Phase 2 Consultation event TODAY, on-line consultation closes 03 March

The first Stage 2 Consultation event was held last week, 11 February, focusing on North Woodside Road where concern was expressed about traffic speeds, proposed measures to reduce speeds with speed tables, and gaps to allow bikes through, and will the City Council bow to what seems to be a Transport Scotland dislike for zebra crossings?
Today’s event focuses on St George’s Road and Charing Cross, so it will be interesting to see how cycle traffic will be able to access St George’s Road from North Street, Sauchiehall Street to the west of Charing Cross and to the east, and how the junction into Woodlands Road will work.

Here’s a section of the information we gave two weeks ago that refers to today and the on-line consultation:
“Woodside Library (St George’s Road) on Tuesday 19th February, 3-7pm, focusing on St Georges Road and Charing Cross
Information on North Woodside Road and St George’s Road will be available at both consultations, so feel free to drop into either one.
Can’t come along to either event? Then you can view all the consultation materials here, and you can leave your comments on our Commonplace map here by Sunday 3rd March 2019.
We look forward to seeing you there and hearing what you have to say about the next stage of this exciting project!”

1.2 Renfrewshire, cycle lane from Renfrew to the Glasgow boundary at Shieldhall, consultation events 26 and 27 February.

News just in from Renfrewshire Council:

“Good Afternoon
Renfrewshire Council is proposing to provide a new high-quality cycle route, segregated from traffic, between Renfrew Town Centre and the Glasgow City Council boundary. The proposed route, which forms part of Renfrewshire Council’s Cycle Strategy, is well-used, but requires dedicated space to provide a safe, convenient and fully segregated route, to encourage people to cycle.

A map of the route and further details regarding the scheme can be seen here.

Local Transport Projects Ltd, on behalf of Renfrewshire Council, are developing designs for this new cycle route & would like to know the views of those who might use the route, might be affected by the development, or would like to offer any feedback regarding the project. An online consultation is now underway: https://renfrewcycling.commonplace.is/. Please have a look, comment and let us know your views. Please do also share this email to your local networks, to give as many people as possible the chance to have their say.
We are also holding two local public consultation events for people to pop along to, view plans, offer feedback and find out more. Full details here or on the leaflet attached.

Clare Shepherd
Technical Assistant (Accounts)
Local Transport Projects Ltd.
Armstrong House,
The Flemingate Centre,
Armstrong Way,
Beverley,
HU17 0NW.
01482 679911
www.local-transport-projects.co.uk

LTP provide traffic engineering and transport planning services across the UK, with offices in Beverley and Manchester. Find out more at http://www.local-transport-projects.co.uk/contacts/new
renfrewcycling.commonplace.is
Have your say on the new Renfrew cycle route!
We want to make it safer for cyclists to use this popular route, reduce traffic congestion and increase the network of cycling routes in Renfrewshire.

The drop-in consultation events will be held at:

Tues 26th February: Renfrew High School, Gym Hall 6pm – 10pm

Weds 27th February: Renfrew Town Hall, Committee Room 11am – 8pm

Can’t make it? Click on “Have your say!” and let us know your views.

We love the look of the drawings but there’s a major question for Glasgow City Council coming out of this of course, and that is how to get round the Shieldhall Roundabout and on into the city?!

1.3 **NEW** Glasgow City Centre Congestion Improvement, closes 08 March

Here’s the email that we received on 15 February from Glasgow City Council:


Dear Sir / Madam
THE GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL,(CITY CENTRE) (TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT) ORDER 2010,(VARIATION NO 26) (CONGESTION IMPROVEMENT) ORDER 201_

The Council propose to consider the introduction of the above named Traffic Regulation Order.
Please find enclosed a copy of the press notice of the proposed Order, relevant maps, statement of reasons and detailed report.
Details of the proposals will also be available on the Glasgow City Council website at www.glasgow.gov.uk/proposedtro.
As stated in the attached documentation, any person wishing to object to the proposed Order should send details of the ground for their objection in writing to Andy Waddell, Director of Operations, Neighbourhoods and Sustainability, Exchange House, 231 George Street, Glasgow, G1 1RX or by email to congestionimprovement@glasgow.gov.uk by Friday 8 March 2019.

Yours faithfully

Andy Waddell, Director of Operations, Neighbourhoods and Sustainability

Most of the 14 documents attached to the email refer to taxi rank locations and, if you wish to see them, you may look at the City Council’s website. The plan of the area affected is below and the report is here.

There is some strange language in the report, eg “In view of …. the lack of parking availability on a Sunday within the City Centre, it is considered necessary to extend a number of existing waiting and loading restrictions to include Sunday as well as extend parking charges to include Sunday.
In addition to this, increasing on-road parking availability on a Sunday will improve traffic flow within the City Centre and have a positive effect on environmental issues such as air quality by encouraging the use of more sustainable methods of transport. These proposals would also encourage the use of off-street parking options if driving into the City Centre and likely reduce any time spent driving around the City Centre roads for those looking for an available on-street parking space.”
It’s not clear how extending parking restrictions increases on-road parking availability, but extending parking charges to include Sundays is a step in the right direction.

GoBike will be supporting these proposals. Please add your voice too.

1.4 **NEW** Glasgow Heathcot Avenue, Drumchapel, proposed one-way operation, closes 08 March

GoBike was sent this email on 08 February:

“Dear Sir or Madam,
THE GLASGOW CITY COUNCIL, (HEATHCOT AVENUE)
(TRAFFIC REGULATION) ORDER 201_

The Council propose to consider the introduction of the above named Traffic Regulation Order.
Please find enclosed a copy of the press notice of the proposed Order, relevant map, statement of reasons and detailed report.
Details of the proposals will also be available on the Glasgow City Council website at www.glasgow.gov.uk/proposedtro. 
As stated in the attached documentation, any person wishing to object to the proposed Order should send details of the grounds for objection in writing to Andy Waddell, Director of Operations, Neighbourhoods and Sustainability, Exchange House, 231 George Street, Glasgow, G1 1RX or by e-mail to land@glasgow.gov.uk by 8^th March 2019.
Yours faithfully

Andy Waddell, Director of Operations,Neighbourhoods and Sustainability”

The attached documents are the Press Notice, the Plan, the Statement of Reasons and the Draft Report.

GoBike has concerns about this. While we understand that the City Council wish to improve road safety, and we fully support the control of on-street parking, we know that traffic speeds will increase once the Avenue is made one-way. We are also aware that there are no on-road cycle facilities in Drumchapel at all and, for their personal safety, people learning to cycle, or returning to cycling, use the footways rather than the roadway. It is unacceptable that this is the only provision for these people and thus we will be pressing the Council to implement their default policy of maintaining two-way cycling even if reducing motor traffic to one-way.

1.5 **NEW** Transport Scotland A830 Shlatach Road over Rail Bridge, Glenfinnan, reconstruction, closes 14 March.

Transport Scotland propose to renew a bridge over the Fort William to Mallaig railway line just to the north-west of the well-known Glenfinnan Viaduct.

Here’s the email we got on 24 January:

“ROADS (SCOTLAND) ACT 1984

THE A830 TRUNK ROAD (SHLATACH RAIL BRIDGE REPLACEMENT) (SIDE ROADS) ORDER 201[ ]
THE A830 TRUNK ROAD (SHLATACH RAIL BRIDGE REPLACEMENT) (TRUNKING) ORDER 201[ ]
The Scottish Ministers propose to make the above-named Orders under ections 12(1), (5) and 70(1) of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 stopping up the public right of passage over certain lengths of road, and under section 5(2) of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 construct a trunk road over certain lengths of road as described in the Schedules to the Orders.
I therefore attach a copy of the Orders, together with the relevant plans, Public Notices and Notice of Determination for your information.
The Public Notices will be published in the Oban Times and West Highland Times and The Herald on Thursday 31st January and in the Edinburgh Gazette on Friday 1st February 2019.
Yours faithfully,

Transport Scotland have a somewhat formal approach to the wording of their documents but a recent phone call to their offices elicited the information below, once of course having explained that GoBike does recognise that the Strathclyde boundary lies somewhere well to the south of Glenfinnan, but some of our more adventurous members do cycle this far afield.
The bridge superstructure is being replaced because it is life-expired but the opportunity is being taken to widen the roadway slightly, to straighten the road a little, thus improving sight lines, and to raise the bridge parapets to the current stamdard 1.5m height. The roadway will be a total width of 8m, comprising 6m carriageway and two 1m hard strips, with a further 1.5m verge at each side. This, providing the 1m strips are kept clear of s**t and grit, does not present a reduction in cycle facility, in fact improves things slightly and we have emailed Transport Scotland to confirm this view. A web link to the proposals is here.

1.6 **NEW** Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) Regional Transport Strategy – Public Survey, closes 20 March

Here’s a super wee survey from SPT – we’d been led to expect one way back in November, with a report in Digest 22, Item 2.2 and here it is. Do please spend a few minutes to complete it. Let’s look forward to our walking, cycling and public transport getting better.

1.7 North Lanarkshire Council Local Development Plan, closes 05 April

All you out there in North Lanarkshire, do let us, and North Lanarkshire Council know your views. We haven’t had time yet but we will peruse the plan for active travel content.

1.8 *Hoped for revival* Glasgow Jura Street proposed cycle lane construction, in abeyance!

GoBike notified you that there was consultation upcoming for Jura Street in our Digest 3, Section 2, last year. The consultation event planned for the end of February 2018 was postponed because of the bad weather at the time, but we attended the rescheduled event at the end of March and our response was in Digest 6, item 1.4
We now hear, from Calum, who’s a member of the local Community Council , that there is renewed interest in the project, but a phone call to a member of the design team at the City Council this morning told us that one of the funding streams is no longer available and the project was shelved because of local opposition. The information on the Council’s website has been amended to suit, with only last year’s information available, see this link. Let’s hope that renewed interest from the Community Council augurs well for active travel in this part of the city.

Section 2: Forthcoming Consultations

2.1 Glasgow Byres Road Design Workshop 06 March

Further to the meeting on 20 December that GoBike and Space for People Byres Road attended with Glasgow City Council representatives, (see Digest 25 items 2.2 and 3.4) we had been expecting that a Traffic Regulation Order would have been issued by now. This hasn’t yet happened, but we have now been invited to another Design Workshop to be held on 06 March. We’ll let you know what we find out.

Section 3: Consultation Feedback

3.1 North Lanarkshire Council Residents Parking Scheme to be introduced

We have only just started to receive consultation information from North Lanarkshire, but here’s the result of an earlier consultation, which we welcome:

3.2 Glasgow, University Avenue, meeting 14 February

GoBike is far from happy with what we hear about proposals for University Avenue, as you will have seen from our letter to the university and council, our protest and our resultant media appearances.

We are grateful to Councillor Martha Wardrop, who forwarded this information she had received from the university:

“From 4 March, the University will begin work to make University Avenue a safer and more useable environment. You may recall for those who attended that this was discussed at the last community engagement meeting, held in November.
These changes are important to ensure our students staff and residents can continue to use the Avenue safely.
It is important that this work is undertaken in time to accommodate the higher footfalls that will follow with the opening of the new learning and teaching hub; the first project to be completed in our £1 billion campus development. As part of our capital investment programme, we are also committed to place making and improving the look and feel of the urban realm.
We want to make sure that we take this opportunity to create a safe and welcoming environment for everyone, and balance the requirements of pedestrians, cyclists, users of public transport and drivers of vehicles.
The first stage of these plans is to build two new wider pedestrians crossings- often referred to a “super crossings”. These are wider crossing points which means larger numbers of pedestrians can cross at any one time and help ensure safe crossings of pedestrians but still support the flow of cycles and cars through the Avenue.
They better manage significant pedestrian flows, keeping people safer. Later in the programme, we will resurface the road and footpaths, install better street lighting, install bespoke street furniture and plant more trees. 

You can find out more about our plans for University Avenue on our website.

In developing our Campus Development Framework and Masterplan, which set the overall place-making vision, we latterly undertook a period of public consultation and detailed discussion with Glasgow City Council and other key stakeholders. We also identified a number of measures which will make the Avenue safer for cyclists.
When we resurface the road, we will formalise 1.5 meter wide cycle lanes on the uphill portions of the road, better delineating them with solid lines and coloured surfacing. We believe that these measures, together with the removal of on-street parking and the reduction of the speed limit on the Avenue to 20mph, will make optimum use of the limited space available.
As part of our sustainability and wellbeing plans, we are keen to encourage cycling and are investing heavily in cycle parking on the campus.
We did consider options for segregating the cycle lanes and providing full-length cycle lanes on both sides of the road as part of our development process. However, it was concluded that there is not enough space to provide segregated cycle lanes as well as footpaths and bus stops which are wide enough to safely accommodate the number of pedestrians this area will receive. We appreciate that some cycling lobby groups would want us to do more for cyclists, and we appreciate their views. We can however only do this at the expense of the pavement and keeping our pedestrians safe.
As you will appreciate as this is a major route for pedestrian movement of our 35,000 staff and students and, where we sadly experienced a fatality in 2018, we are keen to ensure safe movement of pedestrians.  
We will continue to engage with all parties during the construction delivery of the works on University Avenue in order to achieve a significant improvement to current conditions for everyone.”

Further to our demonstration on 10 February we were invited to a meeting on 14 February at the university. Our Co-Convenor, John, attended, along with Euan and Iain from Space for People Byres Road and a host of people who are working on the plans. John submitted these questions in advance of the meeting:

“Please see below a few questions that we would be grateful if you could get answered for us.

1. Is Glasgow University carrying out the work On University Avenue by way of Planning Gain?
2. Did Glasgow City Council advise what was required for the road design? (Questions 3-5 assume Yes to this question)
3. What date the council informed you of requirements?
4. Was this advice either in writing or by reference to Planning Guidelines?
5. Which department and officer provide this guidance?
6. What are the current traffic levels on University Avenue?
7. What traffic reduction level they are the University looking for?
8. What quantitative research has been carried out on cycle traffic on University Avenue? Could this be shared with us?
9. Does the University have a target for growth in cycling and what is this?
10. When will the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) Public Notice for University Avenue be published?

Finally could you please share the scope and timescale of the public consultation on University Avenue, including details of: who was notified about any events; any surveys carried out; if any online consultation was held.”

At the meeting with representatives of the project we were disappointed to find that the University remain steadfast in their view that painted lanes on only one side of the road will make conditions safer for cycling. John has responded with the following letter, and we will continue to attempt to find out more information from the council. The road is an adopted highway and so also their responsibility.

“Thank you and your colleagues for taking the time to meet with us last week.

Unfortunately, I came away from the meeting with the feeling that there is a lack of understanding of what constitutes safe cycling, as well as how bad University Avenue currently is for those who use a bike as a means of transport.

The changes that will be made to the footpaths, to improve the safety for pedestrians, is welcome by GoBike. To make explicitly clear, GoBike is not looking to take away space designated for pedestrians. This is about the reprioritisation of University Avenue to provide safe space for those using bikes for transport, as per both the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council’s transport hierarchy.

As pointed out during the meeting, the changes that you are proposing will not make the road any safer for cycling, than the current measures in place. The removal of on road parking spaces, along university Avenue, are welcome. However, with only painted lines, demarcating the cycle lane, there is nothing to stop vehicles from parking on the cycle lane. This was demonstrated, in the photo taken prior to the meeting, to already takes place on the current painted lanes.

Highway code Rule 163 states that a driver should “give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car”. Narrowing of the carriageways, as proposed, while putting in only painted cycle lanes will legitimises close passes of those on bikes on University Avenue.

The reduction of the speed from 30mph to 20mph is welcome, though will also have limited impacted on cycle safety in your current design. The average speed on University Avenue will already be close to this. While, due to University Avenue being a hill, the average speed of cyclists is much lower than 20mph.

It was indicated during the meeting that drivers are often going in excess of 30mph on University Avenue. It is requested that this is taken up with Police Scotland as a matter of urgency. For a 20mph limit to be successful it would also need to be rigorously enforced.

When asked why GoBike had not been engaged earlier in the process it was pointed out that the University had not heard of the group until 2 weeks prior to the meeting. This is disappointing as, it would have been expected, as part of the consultation process, that the University would have actively tried to identify key stakeholders. A google search of “Glasgow Cycle Campaign” would have been all that was required.

Being that the University remain steadfast in their view that the changes to University Avenue will be made safer for cycling, could you let us know which independent active travel groups you consulted to back that view?

As discussed, we are liaising with the local councillors as well as being in communication with Glasgow City Council. We are particularly keen to find out: how these designs were allowed through without safe cycling provision, particularly when both LES and DRS were cognisant of the situation on Byres Road; as well as how the plans for University Avenue were given council approval without meaningful public consultation, compared to similar schemes elsewhere in the city.

I look forward to your response to our earlier questions, as well as the supplemental question above.”

We have since had good news in from the trade union, Unite, at the University of Glasgow, who have contacted us in support of our campaign. Their members voted in favour of a motion to support our campaign for segregated cycle lanes, and they have proposed to also contact the university to back our position.

We continue to work on having these plans improved, but if you work, live, study or commute through University Avenue, please add your own support by contacting your local councillors with your own support for better active travel provision on the currently dangerous street.

3.3 East Dunbartonshire Council, High Street Kirkintilloch, no waiting restrictions to be introduced.

Last May, before we started to receive consultation information from East Dunbartonshire, it was proposed to ban waiting at any time on the High Street in Kirkintilloch. Here’s a copy of the Order, which comes into force in May this year. This should improve the environment for people walking and cycling.

3.4 Glasgow Sauchiehall Street and Elmbank Street one-way, GoBike to attend local Community Council meeting this evening.

GoBike’s concern about the lack of access from Bath Street to Sauchiehall Street has been completely ignored by the City Council, with the member of staff responsible for making Elmbank Street, shown above, one-way southbound for cars with no contraflow for bikes, saying that it is “out with the scope of this amendment to the Traffic Regulation Order” to get people on bikes from Charing Cross Railway Station to Sauchiehall Street.

On Tuesday evening our Co-Convenor, John, and Tricia will be attending a meeting of the Blythswood and Broomielaw Community Council to ask them to help establish a robust cycle route from the King’s Theatre to Sauchiehall Street that does not entail cycling in three lanes of traffic over the M8 and back again, or on the footway. We’ll report back in the next Digest.

3.5 Toryglen Greenspace and Active Travel Design Project, meeting 13 February

Co-Convenor, Iona, had a positive one-to-one consultation with Gemma from Urban Roots, who is leading on the Toryglen Greenspace and Active Travel Design Project. There was a public consultation back in November (see Digest 23, item 1.6 for details) and they are now engaging more closely with stakeholders of which we are one. The project is progressing well and Iona was shown some designs that haven’t gone public yet, for the green space and travel corridors. These are looking very promising – as well as a through route to Rutherglen, the wildlife reserves, wetland and allotments in the area could see this area becoming very like the Cuningar Loop. The long term vision for North Toryglen could see a green corridor stretching from Queens Park to North Toryglen via Cathkin Park. This first stage of design has been funded partly via Sustrans and they are now going forward for the next stage of funding with another stage of public consultation coming up.

Urban Roots are still consulting on the first phase via their online map but haven’t been getting very much local engagement. We’d encourage you to take a look and add some thoughts if you can. We have word that Camglen Bike Town may be taking their guided bike rides past the site if you fancy having a look on two wheels. More information about the project can be found here, and the online consultation map is here.

That’s it for this fortnight, but lots to keep you busy and we will have another package of actions from the powers that be in two weeks.